Beginning February, the instant messaging platform by Facebook aka WhatsApp rolled out an update for all the iPhone users which brought some niche features support for biometric authentication with the help of Face ID or Touch ID. But sadly enough, in just a few days of the rollout, it is reported that the feature may have some bug in it. Some media reports suggest that the bug comes with the update which basically allows anyone to access WhatsApp without using the Touch or Face ID. After being silent for a few days, WhatsApp has now responded. The Facebook-owned messaging platform has acknowledged the issue and has said that the problem should solve very soon. The company has reportedly said that it will roll out a fix to solve the bug very soon.
WhatsApp Face ID/Touch ID Bug: What Exactly Is It?
The bug was first spotted by a Reddit user who goes by the name -- de_X_ter. The Reddit user had revealed that the new update brings the bug to WhatsApp and further noted that the bug only exists when the user has opted for the biometric authentication option by heading to the settings tab. This means only the iPhones users must experience this bug. Also, WhatsApp is also very soon expected to roll out the Face ID, Touch ID Biometric Authentication feature to the Android and rest of the WhatsApp users.
So what exactly is the bug? Well, WhatsApp allows its iPhone users to secure the app via Face ID or Touch ID. The authentication feature can be set up inside the WhatsApp Settings option. At the time of setting up the feature, the app will display some options of when to lock WhatsApp. The options include Immediately, After 1 minute, After 15 minutes and After 1 hour.
The Reddit user said that the WhatsApp bug activates only when someone tries to use WhatsApp Share Extension in some other app. So if you've set the time limit to any time (except Immediately) and opens WhatsApp via the iOS Share Extension, the app will not ask for any Touch ID or Face ID authentication. Now if you jump to the home screen and open WhatsApp separately, then the app will not ask for any authentication, so you can access your WhatsApp without any security. As of now, WhatsApp did not issue a fix for this update, but it might arrive in the coming days.
New WhatsApp Features to Be Introduced in Coming Days
WhatsApp is reportedly working several new features to roll out to all the users. The instant messaging platform is said to work on several security features. Some reports also suggest that WhatsApp will very soon bring dark mode for the users to be able to easily chat with their friends and family members inside a dark room. Notably, some reports suggest that Google’s next Android version aka Android Q will also bring system-wide dark mode. WhatsApp has recently taken measures to combat the spread of fake news in India by limiting the forward message feature to just five contacts at a time.
